Ashurst boosts India practice with appointment of two new Co-Heads

Global law firm Ashurst has appointed Kalpana Unadkat and Shishir Mehta, prominent lawyers in the Indian market, to serve as Co-Heads of the India practice. Building on its current India offering, Ashurst will harness the duo’s deep market knowledge, experience and connections to help clients navigate the complexities and opportunities within the rapidly growing Indian market as they build a fully integrated approach to the global India practice.

Kalpana, who joins from Khaitan & Co, is a corporate lawyer, and has a stellar reputation for her work on cross border joint ventures and M&As, commercial contracts and corporate governance laws. With extensive experience as a strategic advisor to global clientele from a range of jurisdictions, including the USA, UK, Japan, Canada, China and Australia, she is very well positioned to offer clients innovative solutions to their specific business goals.

Shishir is an international banking and finance lawyer with an excellent track record for bridging the gap between Western and Indian parties and has previously played an instrumental role in the establishment of Khaitan & Co's banking team in India. Prior to moving to India in 2010, Shishir spent a number of years in both New York and London at international law firms and has extensive cross border experience across Asia, Middle East, Europe and the USA.

Kalpana and Shishir will both be based in London, and will work alongside Ashurst's core India team to grow the India practice globally. Ashurst will also continue to work with Indian Law Partners in relation to Indian law matters, and, on a case by case basis, with other leading relationship firms in India.

"We are delighted Shishir and Kalpana are joining to lead our India practice, it is also great that Kalpana is returning to Ashurst" said Matthew Wood, Ashurst's lead India practice partner. "India is a key strategic focus for us, and we are committed to further investing in the region. Today's announcement reflects India's strong economic growth and significant opportunities in the market. Kalpana and Shishir bring with them an impressive track record and vast experience advising both Indian and international clients, making them a great fit to steer our India practice forward."

Paul Jenkins, global CEO at Ashurst, added: "India is an increasing source of outbound investment across the globe, while also remaining an attractive destination for foreign investment, tech and infrastructure being notable examples. Kalpana and Shishir's appointments come at an exciting time. Both perfectly complement our existing team and are well-equipped to lead our India practice, and I am confident they will play a key role as we continue to build out our offering."

Geoffrey Picton-Turbervill, who will be taking on the role of Chair of Ashurst's India practice, continued: "We have a long history in relation to India, notably being one of the first firms to respond to the country's liberalisation and opening to foreign investment in the mid-1990's, and these appointments signal the latest step in advancing our India offering. With their combined experience and knowledge of the Indian market, Kalpana and Shishir bring deeper bonds to our clients and enable us to further expand our capabilities."